A New Kind of Fear
by EasternWolf23
Summary: A council is called to discuss a beast attacking humans. Bilbo Baggins and his old friends must embark on another adventure to end the attacks and find out why they are occurring. Some AU.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hobbit.

-Note: I am disregarding ANY and ALL deaths that happen in the book and/or movies.

Chapter One

~The Shire~

All excitement from the day had begun to die down in Hobbiton. Evening was fast approaching. There were many little hobbits running around, not yet called in for the night; but many Hobbits had already returned to their homes. This including Bilbo Baggins. He was preparing to settle down for a quiet night. He straightened up his hobbit hole a bit, before checking his stocks. After assisting the dwarves in reclaiming the Lonely Mountain, he had gone back to his simple ways. He easily fell back into his familiar routine. However, something about it today made Bilbo begin to think of how much he missed his friends; the dwarves and all the allies they had made on the way to the Lonely Mountain. He smiled at the memories, his one true adventure. He still couldn't believe it had all been real. He probably wouldn't have believed it; if it weren't for the very vivid memory of fearing for his life. It had been a good experience and he was quite pleased with himself for going; but it felt good to return to Bag End. He sat, unable to stop the flow of memories, when there was a knock at his door. Jolted out of the memories, he realized that he had not been expecting company. He started toward the door with a sense of foreboding. The last time he had received unexpected visitors, the result had been a dragon. Cautiously, he opened the door.

"Ah, good evening Gandalf."

"What is it you mean? Do you wish me a good evening or mean that it is a good evening whether I wish it or not? Do you feel good this evening or that this is an evening to be good on?"

Bilbo shook his head.

"Oh not this again; come on in Gandalf."

The tall wizard chuckled and stooped through the door. The pair made their way to the sitting room. Bilbo fidgeted nervously, Gandalf usually didn't visit unless he was doing a firework show, and Bilbo didn't know of any scheduled. Clearing his throat, he tried making conversation.

"So, what brings you to Bag End?"

"I thought I would put on a little show for the young ones this evening. I felt like stopping in to see an old friend beforehand."

Bilbo relaxed visibly; if he was only here for a show, then there was nothing to worry about. That calm feeling lasted for only a moment; until Gandalf's next words.

"I also have something to report."

At this, a small feeling of panic bubbled up in Bilbo. Not knowing what else to do, he just sat there and waited for Gandalf to continue.

"Certain people have been invited to Rivendell to discuss some things going on. You are one of those people; I volunteered to escort you to there."

Bilbo shifted uncomfortably, unsure of what to think. As fond as he was of the memories of his adventure, he wasn't exactly eager to jump right into another. If there was a need to invite people all to one place, it had to be something important. After a moment, he found his voice.

"Ah, no; no I don't think so. One adventure is quite enough for me. I will be perfectly content to live quite peacefully in the Shire from now on. Whatever the problem is, I am quite sure it can be solved without me."  
>"How can you say that when you don't know what the problem is? Well, no Matter; I shall return in the morning. I would suggest you pack a small sack of anything you may need."<p>

With that Gandalf stood and stooped back out the door; leaving Bilbo standing in the middle of the room with a puzzled look on his face. Feeling worn out from the nights event, he attempted to get some rest; however, not before packing a small knapsack with some important items.

It was afternoon, and Bilbo and Gandalf were on their way to Rivendell. That morning, Bilbo had been awakened by a knock at his door. Gandalf had been true to his word; he had come to collect Bilbo for the journey. At first, Bilbo tried to argue again that he had no intention of going on any more adventures; but the conversation ended with Gandalf threatening to have the whole council gathered in Bilbo's hobbit hole. At that he caved; remembering some of the lesser points of his dwarf friends. After that, they quickly set off; and so began Bilbo's next great adventure.

Well there it is; chapter 1. Sorry about the ending, I don't think that's my strong suit. I've put a lot of thought into this fan fiction and I would really appreciate some feedback. Oh, and if anyone can give me ideas for a better title, it would be greatly appreciated! Well, I think that's it; I hope you liked it.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hobbit.

Chapter Two

Bilbo and Gandalf had received a graceful welcome when they reached Rivendell. The journey had passed with little trouble. There had only been one attack by a wolf pack; but nothing else. It seemed strange to Bilbo; to be able to travel and not be attacked. He had gotten so used to always looking over his shoulder when he had helped the dwarves. Bilbo and Gandalf had entered Rivendell and immediately they were led to a room with a large table. Food was placed on the table and they were left alone with the elven Lord Elrond. They were informed that they were the first to arrive; so they waited. They did not have to wait long for the next arrival. Sindarin elves were led into the room. There were very few, but their prince was among them. He looked around and muttered words to his companions. When he finished, they left and he joined the others at the table. He was the first to speak up.

"Who else are we waiting for?"

He looked to Elrond for an answer, for only the host knew who all had been invited.

"The dwarves of Erebor; others that were called upon would not consent to come."

"What if they do not show? I am not fully convinced that they would leave their mountain again so soon after reclaiming it."

Gandalf intercepted the question.

"Be assured, they will come. They made many allies when they reclaimed the Lonely Mountain; if there is a threat, they will wish to help."

After that, it was quiet. None of them spoke and the room was filled with tension. Patience seemed to be wearing thin when the door again opened. The dwarves filed in after the guide and Elrond rose to greet them. The dwarves spread out a sat among those who had been waiting. Bofur sat on one side of Bilbo, and Bomber on the other. He watched as Bomber took as much food as he could, and began eating. Bilbo counted the dwarves, and realized that there were only ten.

"Bofur, where are the others? There are only ten of you here."

"Aye, Oin, Gloin, and Balin stayed behind to keep an eye on things. Thorin didn't want to keep the mountain fully unattended."

"I would have thought that if he left anyone behind, it would have been Fili; since he's the heir."

"He might have, but Dís said she would keep an eye on things."

At Bilbo's confused look, Bofur cheerfully elaborated.

"Dís is Thorin's sister; Fili and Kili's mother."

Bilbo was about to reply when Legolas spoke.

"Why have you called us all here, Elrond?"

"As you all should have been notified, there have been some brutal attacks on the human race. I called this council to discuss what course of action we should take."

Legolas chuckled and relaxed for the first time since he had entered.

"Why should we take any course of action? It is not as if these attacks are affecting any of us. Why should we involve ourselves where we do not belong?"

Thorin looked up and sneered at Legolas.

"You Mirkwood elves are all the same; you think nothing matters as long as you are able to sit among your precious jewels. You care about no one outside your woods, as long as they pose no danger to you."

"Are you any different with your gold? You endangered many innocents in your quest for the Mountain."

Thorin was standing now, and the other dwarves were grumbling in response to the insults.

"We are not the same as you; we were fighting for our home. We wish to repay our debts and help them as they helped us. Unlike you we have equal concern for others as we do ourselves; that fact is obvious"

The elf narrowed his eyes.

"What do you mean by that?"

"_I _brought comrades, _you _brought guards."

It was plain to see that the verbal fight was about to turn into a physical one. Bilbo was growing very nervous about the two men standing and yelling at each other. He grew even more anxious when it was no longer coherent. At one point, they had begun yelling in their native tongues. Some of the dwarves seemed unsure of what to do while others were trying to help Elrond calm things down. Suddenly, Gandalf stood and a shadow fell over the room. Immediately, they men grew quiet.

"That is enough; all of you sit down."

Gandalf waited until they were all again seated before continuing. He directed his attention to Legolas.

"It is understandable of you are unsure about whether or not to help the humans, but perhaps it would be wise to form an opinion after Lord Elrond has finished. However, if you did not wish to discuss this topic, then you should not have come."

He turned his attention to everyone in the room.

"This is no time to be fighting among ourselves; there are powers at work that are greater than a small grudging conflict."

It was silent once again. They turned their attention to Elrond.

"This beast has been terrorizing human cities, abducting humans; once they are taken, they are not seen again. We have come to the conclusion that it is looking for something, or someone. It is a fearful creature; it has the form of a red lion with a bat's wings, horns, and the tail of a scorpion."

All was quiet as the information was absorbed. Nori, who had been quiet during the whole exchange, spoke up.

"What is this beast? Surely it has a name."

Elrond nodded.

"It is called a Manticore."

A heavy quiet fell over the room. Bofur was the first to speak.

"So, what are we going to do?"

There was a pause until Thorin stood.

"I vote that we help them and end this beast."

The dwarves chimed in with affirmative responses. Bilbo and Gandalf also threw in their votes as assenting. All eyes turned to Legolas. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"All right, I expect I will go along with it as well."

Elrond nodded in response.

"Well then, I suppose it's settled. We shall cooperate together yet again to obstruct the darker powers at work."

Finally finished chapter two! I hope it turned out okay. I would love to hear so I feedback to know how I'm doing.


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